Crows
by Jessi Scott
Summary: Three boys, a mysterious girl, and a short, stunning ending.


**Crows**

Violet Crow was a simple, quiet girl. Every day she would go to school, but rarely spoke to anyone. If she was called upon in class to answer a question, she would speak so softly that the teachers couldn't understand her words. She would sit in the furthest seat in the back of class, listening to the teacher without an expression.

Now Violet wasn't as invisible as she would like to be. She was a pretty girl. Her straight black hair hung down to her waist and fell just right across her so face that all but one beautiful, sapphire-blue eye was showing. She always wore a black jacket. It was a wonderful contrast to her pale skin. She walked quickly with long, slender legs. Normally, the kids would tease someone with such legs, but not Violet. No one was sure why, but it was very hard to speak to the girl. Every once in a while a new person would try to strike up a conversation with her and fail as soon as she turned her brilliant, blue eyes on them. Some of the people found this was unnatural, but some thought otherwise. That was the way it was for three boys in Violet's school. Every time she would walk past Tom, John, or Michael they would find themselves staring after her. Their minds would constantly wander to her and whenever the three friends were together they would talk about nothing but her.

One day the boys had gotten onto the subject of how Violet would always leave school and head towards the edge of town toward the cemetery. John let out his idea of following her home, just to see how far out of town she lived. Tom and Michael agreed and they decided to do it that night. For the rest of the day they talked about how they were going to follow her.

Finally, after four long hours, they were let out of school. They quickly gathered at the front doors where they watched her exit every day and paid close attention to where she started walking. They had been correct; Violet quickly walked in the direction of the edge of town, toward the cemetery. They boys darted after her, taking care to stay a good distance behind her so they could stay inconspicuous. They were surprised by how fast she could walk. They hadn't considered this in the planning that they had done all day. Nor had they considered just how long the walk was to the edge of town. It was nearly sundown by the time that they reached the cemetery.

As they approached it they decided to hang back behind the hill in case Violet turned around for some reason and saw them following her. They waited thirty seconds to the count and peeked over the hill. They scanned the road and saw nothing. Frowning and asking each other where she could be, they looked everywhere. All they saw was a flock of black crows flying away into the beautiful colors of the sunset.

Confused about how they had lost her so quickly, they went home planning to tell their parents that they would be out late again so they could follow her tomorrow. Their parents questioned them about where they had been and they made up believable excuses to be out late again the next night.

The next day Michael, John, and Tom got together in class and each told about the little white lie that they had told their parents to cover for following Violet home again. They also decided not to stop at the hill so they could continue to follow her.

When class was let out they waited for her to come out again and then took off after her. She walked at the same, quick pace that she had yesterday. The boys found her slightly easier to follow, for they remembered the pace that she had set for them yesterday. When they got to the hill they continued over it. They watched as she entered the little gate to the cemetery. They ran after her as quietly as they could, struggling to keep her in their sight. But that challenge became a problem. She slowed down her long stride and stopped in front of a tomb stone. The boys decided to stop and hide behind a tree where they could get a look at what she was doing.

Violet had stopped and was standing perfectly still, staring at a grave marker. Her face showed utter sorrow. The boys wondered what was so special about it. It was carved into the shape of a bird in marble as white as her beautiful, flawless skin. As they wondered whose grave it was, Violet turned her head to look at the sunset. They realized that she had been crying, for a sparkling tear was sliding down her cheek. Her gaze didn't move from the sunset. Just when the boys started to wonder what was so special about a sunset something started to happen. Violet smiled, took a deep breath and lifted her arms toward the sky. Silver light started to shine from her. It grew brighter and brighter until the boys lost her in its shine. They closed their eyes to its brilliance until it disappeared. Quickly they opened their eyes and found in Violet's place, a black crow. It had tears on its face. Staring at the bird with a mixture of wonder and horror, they watched as it flew up and joined a flock of crows that flew away into the sunset.

Only Michael moved. He walked over to stand in front of the headstone that Violet had been crying over. Looking closer at it he could tell that the marble figure was of a crow. The inscription under the statue read:

Violet Angela Crow

Born – 1956

Died – 1972

May her soul take wings and fly into the sunset.


End file.
